This invention relates to microelectronic device fabricating methods, to methods of forming a pair of conductive device components of different base widths from a common deposited conductive layer, and to integrated circuitry.
Integrated circuitry fabrication typically involves lithographic processing whereby a desired circuitry image is formed in an imaging layer. The image is transferred to underlying circuitry layers on a substrate by using the imaging layer as a mask during etching or other removal of underlying material exposed through the imaging layer. Further, in many instances it is desirable to form the same type of devices from a commonly deposited conductive layer to have different dimensions, including having different base widths of such devices.
Integrated circuitry fabricators are ever attempting to increase circuity density and thereby reduce the size of individual conductive components. As device dimensions decrease, interest is increasing in using alternatives to lithographic definition of features, particularly in an effort to achieve device dimensions that are smaller than the available, yet ever decreasing, minimum feature resolution using lithography.
Various vertical device structures are under investigations that make use of controlled deposition as a means of creating small features, with the base width dimension thereby being controlled largely by the deposition thickness of the layer. For example, it is possible to deposit conductive material over a vertical wall to a known desired thickness, and then remove it from horizontal surfaces by anisotropic reactive ion etching. This leaves a vertically extending conductive component having a base width essentially equal to the deposition thickness of the conductive layer. Such techniques have historically also been utilized to form insulative spacers over field effect transistor lines.
It would be desirable, although not required, to develop improved methods which enable both subresolution processing and fabrication of multiple width electronic device components using presently and yet-to-be-developed photolithographic and other masking processing.
The invention includes microelectronic device fabricating methods, methods of forming a pair of conductive device components of different base widths from a common deposited conductive layer, and integrated circuitry. In one implementation, a microelectronic device fabricating method includes providing a substrate having a mean global outer surface extending along a plane. A first portion is formed over the substrate comprising a straight linear segment which is angled from the plane and forming a second portion over the substrate comprising a straight linear segment which is angled from the plane at a different angle than the first portion. A layer of structural material is formed over the first and second portions. The structural material layer is anisotropically etched and a first device feature is ultimately left over the first portion having a first base width and a second device feature is ultimately left over the second portion having a second base width which is different from the first base width.
In one implementation, integrated circuitry includes a substrate having a mean global outer surface extending along a plane. The substrate includes a first conductive device component of a first type and which is elongated in a first direction generally parallel with the plane. A second conductive device component of the first type is included which is elongated in a second direction generally parallel with the plane, with the first and second conductive device components at least predominately comprise common conductive material. The first and second conductive device components have different base widths. At least one of the first and second conductive device components is elevationally angled from perpendicular to the plane along at least a majority of its elongated length in its respective first or second direction.